Duck Baiting Season

[KipCarson]

It was a good morning, picked up 84 green wings and 5 shovelers. One interesting catch was a pair of green wings that I banded in the same location in February of 2014. Those little fellas have covered some miles since then. You can see how worn the bands were, the website portion of the band had mostly already been completely worn off.

 

[Rackmastr]

If you wanna come up to Idaho, we sometimes run into them early in Oct or late January if it’s nice.
Matt

If you ever need a guest down your way, let me know! I'm in BC along the Idaho border but love chasing any cool birds, especially later season plumage! I hunt Alberta/SK a bit as well and glad to have a guy up here to do some hunting in return.

 

[FLS]

I’ve got two green wing bands and several wood duck bands. All the woodies came from NY. They just follow the rest of the snowbirds to South Carolina I guess...

 

[TexanSam]

Do I spot a canvasback? Or is that a pintail hen?

 

[KipCarson]

Do I spot a canvasback? Or is that a pintail hen?

View attachment 127914

It’s not a canvasback, I have only ever banded about a dozen of those. That particular property never has any either. That’s either a hen pintail, or a hen teal with the light hitting her bill just right.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

I was lucky this year and got a GWT banded in Alaska.

I also shot a banded green wing teal in Alaska...it was banded in Galena.

All the banded ducks I have shot have been "local" like that GWT I shot about 200 miles from Galena.
In the 1980's I shot my first banded duck (a Canvasback) at Bear River Refuge, Utah, banded at Ruby Lake Refuge Nevada.
A week later I shot a banded redhead at the same location....banded at Ruby Lake Refuge Nevada.
Next year I shot a banded scaup at Grays Lake Refuge in Idaho...banded at that location.
In 2000, I shot a banded mallard on the last day of the season in subzero weather at Nine Pipes Refuge, MT...
that late in the season, I thought it had to be a migrant...nope banded that summer at Nine Pipes Refuge, MT.

 

[Dave N]

I also shot a banded green wing teal in Alaska...it was banded in Galena.

All the banded ducks I have shot have been "local" like that GWT I shot about 200 miles from Galena.
In the 1980's I shot my first banded duck (a Canvasback) at Bear River Refuge, Utah, banded at Ruby Lake Refuge Nevada.
A week later I shot a banded redhead at the same location....banded at Ruby Lake Refuge Nevada.
Next year I shot a banded scaup at Grays Lake Refuge in Idaho...banded at that location.
In 2000, I shot a banded mallard on the last day of the season in subzero weather at Nine Pipes Refuge, MT...
that late in the season, I thought it had to be a migrant...nope banded that summer at Nine Pipes Refuge, MT.

Dang! Their bellies weren't full of popcorn by any chance? I've killed one banded Canadian Goose. Banded about 35 miles from where I shot it. Yep, suburbs of Chicago. Doubt they went anywhere over the winter..

 

[cgarner]

I also shot a banded green wing teal in Alaska...it was banded in Galena.

All the banded ducks I have shot have been "local" like that GWT I shot about 200 miles from Galena.
In the 1980's I shot my first banded duck (a Canvasback) at Bear River Refuge, Utah, banded at Ruby Lake Refuge Nevada.
A week later I shot a banded redhead at the same location....banded at Ruby Lake Refuge Nevada.
Next year I shot a banded scaup at Grays Lake Refuge in Idaho...banded at that location.
In 2000, I shot a banded mallard on the last day of the season in subzero weather at Nine Pipes Refuge, MT...
that late in the season, I thought it had to be a migrant...nope banded that summer at Nine Pipes Refuge, MT.

Wow. A lot of canvasback and redheads get banded at the Ruby Lake Refuge. It is an important area in the middle of a desert. Beautiful refuge as well.